Hoses are used in home and industry wherever water, air or other fluids are moved from one point to another. Kinking is a common problem with flexible hoses. A kink in a hose may impede or stop fluid flow and may require intervention to remove the kink. Kinking occurs wherever the hose becomes doubled over or twisted so the open cross-sectional area inside the hose becomes significantly reduced or closed. Removing a kink from a hose typically requires manually inspecting and manipulating the hose to restore flow. Where the hose is routed through an enclosed, inaccessible area, such as a building wall or car body, the process of remediation can be labor intensive and expensive.
One approach to resist kinking is to increase the thickness of the hose wall. However, this approach may render the hose too inflexible to thread through or around a desired path. It also may substantially increase the material cost of the hose. Fiber reinforcement of the hose wall may increase wall strength, but may not necessarily reduce kinking.